The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide EUR 50m in financing to Renovables de la Ribera, a 50-50 joint venture between Iberdrola and Caja Rural de Navarra to build a new renewable energy project - the Cavar wind complex - in Navarra, Spain. For more information see the IDTechEx report on Energy Harvesting Microwatt to Megawatt 2019-2029.

The EIB is assisting this project via a Green Loan, the features of which are fully in line with the requirements set out in its Climate Awareness Bonds programme. As a result, it is likely to be allocated to its portfolio of loan operations financed via the issuance of these bonds. The new project, located between the municipalities of Cadreita and Valtierra, includes four wind farms and will have an installed capacity of 111 MW. Construction will enable the creation of up to 200 jobs and the complex is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2020.

In this way, the EU bank financing provided to Renovables de la Ribera will help meet the goal proposed by the European Commission of generating 32% of the energy used in the EU using renewable sources by 2030. The new wind complex - which will not release any polluting emissions - will generate enough clean energy to meet the electricity needs of 46 500 people and will avoid the release 84 000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere a year.

Cavar is also the first wind project in Spain to sell its energy to a large corporation. A long-term bilateral contract (a Power Purchase Agreement or PPA) will see it produce 40 MW of clean energy for Nike in Europe.

EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro, who is responsible for climate action at the Bank, said: "Spain has major renewable energy potential, and the EIB wants to help it to become a reference point in the sector by providing investments to promote the transition to a low-carbon economy while simultaneously fostering growth and employment. Promoting clean energy generation is one of our key priorities. As part of its aim to establish itself as the EU climate bank, the EIB has reaffirmed its commitment to increasing its financing to support Europe in its plans to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050."

Iberdrola España CEO ÷ngeles Santamaría highlighted "the importance of access to climate financing instruments to accelerate the energy transition we need. These measures, together with emissions targets and the implementation of an environment-focused industrial and fiscal policy, will make it possible to move forward with the decarbonisation of our economy and climate change mitigation. In line with this commitment and an ambitious action plan, Iberdrola is making progress with major investment into renewables in Spain, where we plan to install 3 000 MW of new capacity by 2022 and up to 10 000 MW in 2030."

For Caja Rural de Navarra, "investment in this renewable energy production activity falls under our focus on environmental responsibility and support for regional business. This rural operation balances traditional farming with new, environmentally friendly forms of energy generation."